No. 45 · Short Film
Txapela
Directed by Antton Bastero
Spain · 7 min
In a small, isolated village, Mateo, a chieftain with a piercing gaze, wields his power by making everyone bow their berets when they perceive his presence.
Streams 21 September 2026 to 28 September 2026, Berlin time. Every ticket is one Audience Award vote.
Trailer
About the film
In a small, isolated village, Mateo, a chieftain with a piercing gaze, wields his power by making everyone bow their berets when they perceive his presence. Everyone fears him except Txomin, the newly arrived fishmonger, who refuses to bow his beret. The chieftain will be decisive and resolve the fishmonger's disobedience using his old Japanese katana.
Content notes: Graphic violence
- Runtime
- 7 min
- Category
- Short Film
- Country
- spain
- Year
- 2025
- Language
- no language
- Aspect ratio
- 16:9
Stills
Antton Bastero
Antton Bastero (Bilbao, Spain, 1958) is the director of the short films *Miraflores* (2024) and *Txapela* (2025). He has written numerous plays and is the author of the novels *La banda del chipirón en su tinta* (2024), *El secuestro de Marijaia* (2024), and *Abrázame Bilbao* (2025). An actor, puppeteer, journalist, playwright, film director, and advertising professional—as well as the creator of the Basque gastronomy page *Etxekoa*, which boasts tens of thousands of social media followers—he also holds a degree in Information Sciences from the University of the Basque Country (1982).
— Director’s statement
"In the short film *Txapela*, I seek to denounce the domineering rule of the powerful. The cry (the Basque *irrintzi*) that the local boss hears is the cry of freedom," explains Antton Bastero, the director of this Basque short film.
Credits
- Directed by
- ANTTON BASTERO
- Written by
- ANTTON BASTERO
- Produced by
- MIGR EKOIZPEN ARTISTIKOAK
- Production company
- MIGR EKOIZPEN ARTISTIKOAK
- Cinematography
- PATXI MARTIN
- Editing
- PATXI MARTIN & ANTTON BASTERO
- Music
- EDUARDO BASTERRA
- Principal cast
- NATXO URIEL - Mateo, chieftain DAVID TABOADA - Txomin, fishmonger ITXASO BASTERO - young woman 1 ANE AROSTEGI - young woman 2 JOSE ANTONIO ARRAUSI - figuration BELEN URUTXURTU - figuration DORI ORTEGA - figuration FELIPE ZELAIETA - figuration XABIER GALARRAGA - figuration LANDER TXATO - figuration LUTXI GARCIA - figuration MAITE ROSON - figuration MARIA LUISA LOPEZ OCHOA - figuration GONTZAL AZKOITIA - figuration PILAR PEREZ DE OBANOS - figuration KEPA ELEJOSTE - figuration BERNAT VIDAL - figuration IÑAKI PEREZ - figuration EDUARDO SANTOS - figuration ALFREDO MENDOZA - figuration ISABEL GOMEZ - figuration TXARO MARIACA - figuration MANOLO SAEZ DE CASTILLO - figuration AITOR MAGUNAZELAIA - figuration IÑAKI DEL RIO - figuration ANE DE DIEGO - figuration ALFREDO ITURRITZA - figuration PABLO SANTAMARIA - figuration ESTEBAN ETXEBARRIA - figuration
- Also
- IÑAKI PEREZ - making of ALFREDO MENDOZA - carpentry work LUTXI GARCIA - atrezzo FELIPE ZELAIETA - basque language advisor IZASKUN VITERI - irrintzi specialist OTXANDIOKO YAGO FRUTATEGI ETA ARRANDEGIA - collaborator BILBOKO SOMBREROS GOROSTIAGA - collaborator TONI LA SAL - collaborator DRAMAGIA - collaborator DAVID BLANCO - lighting technician
— Festivals and awards
ICOFF 2026 UWO 2026 FICCS 2026
Txapela is part of the Official Selection of the BIUFF Founding Edition 2026.